Dental care and the prevention of dental decay or dental caries has changed in the United States over the past several decades, due to the introduction of fluoride to drinking water, the use of fluoride dentifrices and rinses, application of topical fluoride in the dental office, and improved dental hygiene. Despite these advances, dental decay continues to be the leading cause of tooth loss. With the improvements over the past several decades, the majority of newly discovered carious lesions tend to be localized to the occlusal pits and fissures of the posterior dentition and the proximal contact sites. These early carious lesions may be often obscured in the complex and convoluted topography of the pits and fissures or may be concealed by debris that frequently accumulates in those regions of the posterior teeth. Moreover, such lesions are difficult to detect in the early stages of development.
Dental caries may be a dynamic disease that is characterized by tooth demineralization leading to an increase in the porosity of the enamel surface. Leaving these lesions untreated may potentially lead to cavities reaching the dentine and pulp and perhaps eventually causing tooth loss. Occlusal surfaces (bite surfaces) and approximal surfaces (between the teeth) are among the most susceptible sites of demineralization due to acid attack from bacterial by-products in the biofilm. Therefore, there is a need for detection of lesions at an early stage, so that preventive agents may be used to inhibit or reverse the demineralization.
Traditional methods for caries detection include visual examination and tactile probing with a sharp dental exploration tool, often assisted by radiographic (x-ray) imaging. However, detection using these methods may be somewhat subjective; and, by the time that caries are evident under visual and tactile examination, the disease may have already progressed to an advanced stage. Also, because of the ionizing nature of x-rays, they are dangerous to use (limited use with adults, and even less used with children). Although x-ray methods are suitable for approximal surface lesion detection, they offer reduced utility for screening early caries in occlusal surfaces due to their lack of sensitivity at very early stages of the disease.
Some of the current imaging methods are based on the observation of the changes of the light transport within the tooth, namely absorption, scattering, transmission, reflection and/or fluorescence of light. Porous media may scatter light more than uniform media. Taking advantage of this effect, the Fiber-optic trans-illumination is a qualitative method used to highlight the lesions within teeth by observing the patterns formed when white light, pumped from one side of the tooth, is scattered away and/or absorbed by the lesion. This technique may be difficult to quantify due to an uneven light distribution inside the tooth.
Another method called quantitative light-induced fluorescence—QLF—relies on different fluorescence from solid teeth and caries regions when excited with bright light in the visible. For example, when excited by relatively high intensity blue light, healthy tooth enamel yields a higher intensity of fluorescence than does demineralized enamel that has been damaged by caries infection or any other cause. On the other hand, for excitation by relatively high intensity of red light, the opposite magnitude change occurs, since this is the region of the spectrum for which bacteria and bacterial by-products in carious regions absorb and fluoresce more pronouncedly than do healthy areas. However, the image provided by QLF may be difficult to assess due to relatively poor contrast between healthy and infected areas. Moreover, QLF may have difficulty discriminating between white spots and stains because both produce similar effects. Stains on teeth are commonly observed in the occlusal sites of teeth, and this obscures the detection of caries using visible light.
As described in this disclosure, the near-infrared region of the spectrum offers a novel approach to imaging carious regions because scattering is reduced and absorption by stains is low. For example, it has been demonstrated that the scattering by enamel tissues reduces in the form of 1/(wavelength)3, e.g., inversely as the cube of wavelength. By using a broadband light source in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) part of the spectrum, which corresponds approximately to 1400 nm to 2500 nm, lesions in the enamel and dentine may be observed. In one embodiment, intact teeth have low reflection over the SWIR wavelength range. In the presence of caries, the scattering increases, and the scattering is a function of wavelength; hence, the reflected signal decreases with increasing wavelength. Moreover, particularly when caries exist in the dentine region, water build up may occur, and dips in the SWIR spectrum corresponding to the water absorption lines may be observed. The scattering and water absorption as a function of wavelength may thus be used for early detection of caries and for quantifying the degree of demineralization.
SWIR light may be generated by light sources such as lamps, light emitting diodes, one or more laser diodes, super-luminescent laser diodes, and fiber-based super-continuum sources. The SWIR super-continuum light sources advantageously may produce high intensity and power, as well as being a nearly transform-limited beam that may also be modulated. Also, apparatuses for caries detection may include C-clamps over teeth, a handheld device with light input and light detection, which may also be attached to other dental equipment such as drills. Alternatively, a mouth-guard type apparatus may be used to simultaneously illuminate one or more teeth. Fiber optics may be conveniently used to guide the light to the patient as well as to transport the signal back to one or more detectors and receivers.
In one embodiment, a wearable device for use with a smart phone or tablet includes a measurement device including a light source comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes for measuring one or more physiological parameters, the measurement device configured to generate an input optical beam with one or more optical wavelengths, wherein at least a portion of the one or more optical wavelengths is a near-infrared wavelength between 700 nanometers and 2500 nanometers. The measurement device comprises one or more lenses configured to receive and to deliver a portion of the input optical beam to a sample comprising skin or tissue, wherein the sample reflects at least a portion of the input optical beam delivered to the sample. The measurement device further comprises a reflective surface configured to receive and redirect at least a portion of light reflected from the sample, and a receiver configured to receive at least a portion of the input optical beam reflected from the sample. The light source is configured to increase a signal-to-noise ratio of the input optical beam reflected from the sample, wherein the increased signal-to-noise ratio results from an increase to the light intensity from at least one of the plurality of light emitting diodes and from modulation of at least one of the plurality of light emitting diodes. The measurement device is configured to generate an output signal representing at least in part a non-invasive measurement on blood contained within the sample. The wearable device is configured to communicate with the smart phone or tablet, the smart phone or tablet comprising a wireless receiver, a wireless transmitter, a display, a voice input module, a speaker, and a touch screen. The smart phone or tablet is configured to receive and to process at least a portion of the output signal, wherein the smart phone or tablet is configured to store and display the processed output signal, and wherein at least a portion of the processed output signal is configured to be transmitted over a wireless transmission link.
In another embodiment, a wearable device for use with a smart phone or tablet includes a measurement device including a light source comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes for measuring one or more physiological parameters, the measurement device configured to generate an input optical beam with one or more optical wavelengths, wherein at least a portion of the one or more optical wavelengths is a near-infrared wavelength between 700 nanometers and 2500 nanometers. The measurement device comprises one or more lenses configured to receive and to deliver a portion of the input optical beam to a sample comprising skin or tissue, wherein the sample reflects at least a portion of the input optical beam delivered to the sample. The measurement device further comprises a reflective surface configured to receive and redirect at least a portion of light reflected from the sample. The measurement device further comprises a receiver configured to receive at least a portion of the input optical beam reflected from the sample, the receiver being located a first distance from a first one of the plurality of light emitting diodes and a different distance from a second one of the plurality of light emitting diodes such that the receiver receives a first signal from the first light emitting diode and a second signal from the second light emitting diode. The measurement device is configured to generate an output signal representing at least in part a non-invasive measurement on blood contained within the sample. The wearable device is configured to communicate with the smart phone or tablet. The smart phone or tablet comprises a wireless receiver, a wireless transmitter, a display, a voice input module, a speaker, and a touch screen, and is configured to receive and to process at least a portion of the output signal. The smart phone or tablet is configured to store and display the processed output signal, wherein at least a portion of the processed output signal is configured to be transmitted over a wireless transmission link.
In one embodiment, a method of measuring physiological information comprises providing a wearable device for use with a smart phone or tablet, the smart phone or tablet comprising a wireless receiver, a wireless transmitter, a display, a voice input module, a speaker, and a touch screen. The wearable device is capable of performing all of the steps comprising: generating an input optical beam having one or more optical wavelengths using a light source comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein at least a portion of the one or more optical wavelengths is a near-infrared wavelength between 700 nanometers and 2500 nanometers; delivering a portion of the input optical beam to a sample comprising skin or tissue using one or more lenses; receiving and reflecting at least a portion of the input optical beam reflected from the sample; receiving a portion of the input optical beam reflected from the sample to generate an output signal representing at least in part a non-invasive measurement on blood contained within the sample; increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of the input optical beam reflected from the sample by increasing a light intensity from at least one of the plurality of light emitting diodes and by modulating at least one of the plurality of light emitting diodes; and transmitting at least a portion of the output signal to the smart phone or tablet for processing to generate a processed output signal and for transmitting from the smart phone or tablet at least a portion of the processed output signal over a wireless transmission link.
In another embodiment, a method of measuring physiological information comprises providing a wearable device for use with a smart phone or tablet, the smart phone or tablet comprising a wireless receiver, a wireless transmitter, a display, a voice input module, a speaker, and a touch screen. The wearable device is capable of performing all of the steps comprising: generating a first and a second input optical beam each having one or more optical wavelengths using a light source comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein at least a portion of the one or more optical wavelengths is a near-infrared wavelength between 700 nanometers and 2500 nanometers; delivering a portion of the first input optical beam and a portion of the second input optical beam to a sample comprising skin or tissue using one or more lenses; receiving and reflecting at least a portion of the input optical beam reflected from the sample; receiving a portion of the first input optical beam reflected from the sample from a first one of the plurality of light emitting diodes located at a first distance and receiving a portion of the second input optical beam reflected from the sample from a different one of the plurality of light emitting diodes located at a distance different from the first distance to generate an output signal representing at least in part a non-invasive measurement on blood contained within the sample; and transmitting at least a portion of the output signal to the smart phone or tablet for processing to generate a processed output signal and for transmitting from the smart phone or tablet at least a portion of the processed output signal over a wireless transmission link.